


The only one who can see he's falling

by Panamic



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Heavy Angst, Infinity War angst, Lot's of it, Sadness, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Whump, What Pepper thinks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 20:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16919541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panamic/pseuds/Panamic
Summary: Just an angsty one shot about Tony, leading up to Infinity War. Just to get out my feelings over that movie, and to kind of predict what I think is going to happen in Endgame. Sort of Canon Compliant, assuming that Endgame goes how I think it will. Mostly about Tony, but kind of like Pepper's point of view of everything that happens to him.





	The only one who can see he's falling

Pepper Potts has always been very in tune to Tony Stark’s mental health and behaviour. She notices things about him that no one else seems to, things about the way he acts and what he does that hint at what he really feels under that cold and uncaring act he puts up. He may pretend to be invincible, but she knows that he’s not, that he’s just as human as the rest of them. The world has tried him again and again, and in all it’s unfairness it has never let him rest. Each time he donned that suit, and even when he didn’t, he came back different from before. The look in his eyes changed with each one. Who he chose to be around changed with each one. How he chose to act, where he chose to go, what he chose to do. It all changed. Each battle, each confrontation and each fight. They all changed him in one way or another, and she knew that one day it would finally break him. That one day he would finally collapse and not be able to go on. But he kept on coming home to her, physically and emotionally spent.

 

 

When he was kidnapped in Afghanistan, he spent three months being held captive in a cave in the desert. He had to get himself out, building a suit of armour to protect himself, and fighting his way out. But he also built a suit of metaphorical armour around himself and fought anyone who tried to help him.

Tony Stark came back home to her with a heavy heart, but also new-found determination.

 

When he was betrayed by Stane and had the device keeping him alive torn from him, he had to get a new one and save himself, again. Then he had to suit up in his armour and go after Stane, fighting him and eventually indirectly killing him. Someone close to him had betrayed him, and he had killed them.

Tony Stark came back home to her with trust issues and a haunted look in his eyes.

 

Then Vanko attacked using Tony’s technology, and Tony had to take his suit and fight back to protect himself, yet again. Then he went to talk to Vanko and realised that someone else knew his secret, that he was slowly dying. But thanks to Justin Hammer, that wasn’t the last time he faced Vanko. When Vanko built his own suit and came after him, he and Rhodey faced him down. For once, Tony didn’t have to save himself.

Tony Stark came back home to her with anger and a tiredness that had now been there before.

 

Then SHIELD called him in, because Loki had attacked, and they needed to retrieve the Tesseract. He flew out to Germany and stopped Loki, only to have to face off against Thor not long after. When he finally thought he was safe on the Heli-carrier, they were suddenly being attacked, and he had to get _inside_ the rotors in order to kick start it. But Cap didn’t quite get to the lever fast enough, and he was thrown around quite a bit before finally getting out. But it all climaxed when Loki came to his tower. Being choked and then thrown out a window is not fun. Then taking a nuke through a wormhole? Even worse.

Tony Stark came back home to her with a lost look and many more nightmares.

 

Then the Mandarin happened, which wasn’t his business until Happy was injured. Then it became all his business. Then his home was attacked, and he ended up in Tennessee. Fighting fire people and working with a little kid, then going after the Mandarin, only to discover it was a ruse. Then being held by them again, only to break out and work with Rhodey to save the president and Pepper and bring down the Mandarin.

Tony Stark came back home to her with a healed chest but an empty heart.

 

Then the Avengers came back together to fight Hydra, and they found Loki’s sceptre. But then Ultron happened, a complete accident, and he took all the blame for it. So, he and the others set out to fight him, along with the enhanced twins he had recruited. When Sokovia went flying, the stakes were raised. So, they fought even harder, and it was Tony’s and Thor’s combined power that destroyed the Ultron-made meteor.

Tony Stark came back home to her with haunted eyes, and a cloud of guilt that followed him.

 

Then the accords were introduced, which had already been in the works for a long time, and yet somehow, he was the only one who had any previous knowledge of them. So, when he supported them, it was understandable that some disagreed. What was not understandable, was that those people chose to actively fight them, and not with politics, but by going rogue and leading a car chase through Romania. Then the fight at the airport happened, and Rhodey was injured. The only person who had ever come to protect Tony when he was in trouble, who fought beside him and didn’t leave him to save himself. And he couldn’t walk ever again. So, Tony went to Siberia to stop this once and for all. But then he saw that video, of his parents being brutally murdered. And the killer was right in the room. But what was worse was that Steve knew. So, he attacked. And in the end, he was betrayed, and the shield came down on his chest. Then he was left behind.

Tony Stark came back home to her with a crushed soul and no hope yet continued to fight.

 

Then just as he predicted, aliens did come to earth again. Bruce crashed into a wizard’s home with a message about an alien warlord coming, and sure enough two strange aliens ended up in the middle of the street, with their space ship straight overhead. So, they fought, and at the last minute the kid joined the fight. Tony was fine with that, but he was not fine with the kid hitching a ride on the spaceship. So, when they went to space to fight Thanos, the kid was with them. They were doing good, until Quill lost his cool and attacked. Then Thanos got away, and they had to fight him again. That’s when Tony was stabbed. So, Doctor Strange did exactly what he said he would not do and gave up the time stone. So, they were left alone on the planet. Just when they were beginning to pick each other up to face their losses, people began turning to dust right in front of his eyes. Even Peter. It was just him and the blue alien standing there, alone on a planet far from earth.

Tony Stark didn’t come back home to her.


End file.
